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Document Abstract

SES, gender, and STEM career interests, goals, and actions: a test of SCCT, IN Journal of Career Assessment, Vol 27 No 1 Feb 2019, pp134-150

Uses Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), which proposes that individuals’ self-efficacy and outcome expectations determine how much effort they will exert in obtaining their desired goal, to examine the role of socioeconomic status (SES) in STEM career development. Finds that higher SES is associated with lower perceived career barriers and with greater parental and peer support as well as predicting greater outcome expectations; while self-efficacy predicted STEM career interests, choice goals, and choice actions, defined as intentions to take advanced maths and science courses. Notes that barriers, as well as father and peer support, predicted efficacy, while mother support predicted outcome expectations; and, while gender was identified as a control, there were significant paths between gender and efficacy, outcome expectations, and interests. Suggests SCCT is a relevant model for describing the STEM career development of young people, even though not all expected associations among variables were significant. Notes that it can inform the delivery of supportive counselling and funding decisions that would allow more STEM career counselling and development activities among young people with fewer resources.

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